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Cold Case Confession: Unravelling the Betty Ketani Murder
‘… if you are reading this then I am dead.’
This is the opening line of a letter hidden under a carpet for a decade. The chilling words are followed by a confession to a murder committed nearly 13 years earlier. The chance discovery of the letter on 31 March 2012 reawakens a case long considered to have run cold, and a hunt begins for the men who kidnapped and killed Betty Ketani – and were convinced they had gotten away with it. The investigation spans five countries, with a world-renowned DNA laboratory called in to help solve the forensic puzzle. The author of the confession letter might have feared death, but he is very much alive, as are others implicated in the crime.
Betty Ketani, a mother of three, came to Johannesburg in search of better prospects for her family. She found work cooking at one of the city’s most popular restaurants, and then one day she mysteriously disappeared. Those out to avenge her death want to bring closure to Betty’s family, still agonising over her fate all these years later.
The storyline would not be out of place as a Hollywood movie – and it’s all completely true. Written by the reporter who broke the story, Cold Case Confession goes behind the headlines to share exclusive material gathered in four years of investigations, including the most elusive piece of the puzzle: who would want Betty Ketani dead, and why?
‘Wonderful, evocative and vivid writing. Eliseev is a very exciting new talent.’ – Peter James
‘This case is like an Agatha Christie whodunnit: abduction, murder and a confession.’ – Carte Blanche
‘A relentless search for truth and justice. Cold Case Confession is a story that inspires confidence in the system and affirms that, indeed, we are all equal before the law.’ – Thuli Madonsela
- GenresSouth Africa
398 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
7 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
February 5, 2017
Crime fiction in South Africa frequently comes across as anything but imaginative fiction. Last week a brief news report raised very few eyebrows with its casual description of a neighbourhood mob chasing down an alleged rapist and burning him to death on a sports field (http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/New...)
The scene could have come straight out of a novel by Deon Meyer or Margie Orford or Ian Patrick or Roger Smith. These authors, and many like them, create masterful works of fiction from the air they breathe every day. Air filled with the smell of real crime. Brutal crime. Barbaric crime. Their crime fiction attracts an audience of South African readers interested in seeing the latest rendition in fiction of their experience of everyday reality.
Other readers, abroad, have their own reasons for finding this fiction attractive. Doubtless many of those reasons have to do with the quality of the writing - exciting, page-turning action and believable characters, with the books based on solid research that creates an air of authenticity. Doubtless, too, there will be reasons that have to do with voyeurism. Readers of these works are fascinated by the barbaric nature of many of the crimes they read about, both in fiction and in media reports. As the 21-year old democracy in South Africa stands on the threshold of adulthood, the country still strives to deal with the gross inequalities bequeathed by apartheid. Doubtless, this situation produces anger and desperation that plays a role in crime.
But that is by no means the whole story, for there is brutal and barbaric crime across the world, even if the South African case appears to be more prominent than most.
In the crime stories emanating from writers like Meyer, Orford, Patrick and Smith, there is far more than merely a journalistic reflection of the reality of brutal life in South Africa. There is also a sensitive and creative imagination at work in all of these writers. Their characters are not mere ciphers. They are fully realised creatures who capture our attention precisely because they are believable characters. The characters might be the product of a harsh environment or a broken social contract, but they are also the products of an artistic sensibility in which the writer has sought to understand the thoughts and feelings of their creations.
Characters like Meyer's Griessel, Orford's Riedwaan, Patrick's Thabethe, or Smith's Ishmael Toffee - whether heroes or villains - are fully-realised human beings who bear within themselves the pain and anger and frustration of lives lived in a society still searching for itself. In the hands of writers like these, the world of fiction emulates the real world of barbaric crime but also the possibilities of a world just beyond the barbarism. The real world, that is to say, is merely a foundation upon which a world of imagination is built where the authors can explore possibilities for their characters to search for redemption and transcendence.
Into this context a new work enters the scene. One in which the real world is all-encompassing, where the very fabric of the narrative is what the reader already knows actually took place. Alex Eliseev's "Cold Case Confession: Unravelling the Betty Ketani Murder" is the product of years of research and interviews by an intrepid journalist. In some ways the narrative reflects newspaper reportage. In other ways it reveals the people and the human relationships that - for many readers of the media reports - remained hidden behind the headlines. The story of the genesis of the book is well-known. It all starts with the discovery of a twelve-year old letter hidden under a carpet in a house undergoing renovation. The letter appears to be a confession to murder. The journalist-author embarks upon the adventure to open up this letter and discover the human drama beneath.
It is a compellingly exciting narrative, written with sensitivity and passion, and it is a book that reflects the symbiotic relationship that exists between South African crime and South African crime fiction.
The scene could have come straight out of a novel by Deon Meyer or Margie Orford or Ian Patrick or Roger Smith. These authors, and many like them, create masterful works of fiction from the air they breathe every day. Air filled with the smell of real crime. Brutal crime. Barbaric crime. Their crime fiction attracts an audience of South African readers interested in seeing the latest rendition in fiction of their experience of everyday reality.
Other readers, abroad, have their own reasons for finding this fiction attractive. Doubtless many of those reasons have to do with the quality of the writing - exciting, page-turning action and believable characters, with the books based on solid research that creates an air of authenticity. Doubtless, too, there will be reasons that have to do with voyeurism. Readers of these works are fascinated by the barbaric nature of many of the crimes they read about, both in fiction and in media reports. As the 21-year old democracy in South Africa stands on the threshold of adulthood, the country still strives to deal with the gross inequalities bequeathed by apartheid. Doubtless, this situation produces anger and desperation that plays a role in crime.
But that is by no means the whole story, for there is brutal and barbaric crime across the world, even if the South African case appears to be more prominent than most.
In the crime stories emanating from writers like Meyer, Orford, Patrick and Smith, there is far more than merely a journalistic reflection of the reality of brutal life in South Africa. There is also a sensitive and creative imagination at work in all of these writers. Their characters are not mere ciphers. They are fully realised creatures who capture our attention precisely because they are believable characters. The characters might be the product of a harsh environment or a broken social contract, but they are also the products of an artistic sensibility in which the writer has sought to understand the thoughts and feelings of their creations.
Characters like Meyer's Griessel, Orford's Riedwaan, Patrick's Thabethe, or Smith's Ishmael Toffee - whether heroes or villains - are fully-realised human beings who bear within themselves the pain and anger and frustration of lives lived in a society still searching for itself. In the hands of writers like these, the world of fiction emulates the real world of barbaric crime but also the possibilities of a world just beyond the barbarism. The real world, that is to say, is merely a foundation upon which a world of imagination is built where the authors can explore possibilities for their characters to search for redemption and transcendence.
Into this context a new work enters the scene. One in which the real world is all-encompassing, where the very fabric of the narrative is what the reader already knows actually took place. Alex Eliseev's "Cold Case Confession: Unravelling the Betty Ketani Murder" is the product of years of research and interviews by an intrepid journalist. In some ways the narrative reflects newspaper reportage. In other ways it reveals the people and the human relationships that - for many readers of the media reports - remained hidden behind the headlines. The story of the genesis of the book is well-known. It all starts with the discovery of a twelve-year old letter hidden under a carpet in a house undergoing renovation. The letter appears to be a confession to murder. The journalist-author embarks upon the adventure to open up this letter and discover the human drama beneath.
It is a compellingly exciting narrative, written with sensitivity and passion, and it is a book that reflects the symbiotic relationship that exists between South African crime and South African crime fiction.
October 22, 2016
Alex Eliseev’s Cold Case Confessions Unravelling the Betty Ketani Murder was a book that was up my street literally and figuratively. I can remember the day, four plus years ago, that I heard the macabre news reported that, in a house in Kenilworth - a suburb less than 25 kilometres from where I live - human remains had been unearthed.
Cold Case gripped me from the get-go. Eliseev introduces the main players and rapidly builds up the chain of events hooking the reader immediately with a timeline of varied scenarios. The evocative descriptions of Cranks, a popular avant-garde restaurant in Rosebank in the late 80s, had me longing for the authentic Thai and Indonesian cuisine I devoured there on many occasions.
The gaudy off-the-wall eatery was run by the enigmatic eccentric Eric Neeteson-Lemkes and the restaurant’s success was largely due to Tandiwe (Betty) Ketane who ruled the kitchen. It was at Cranks that Betty was last seen before she disappeared forever.
The story that unravels is dark and dismal. It reeks of the covert activities and brutality carried out by enforcers of the apartheid regime. It exposes police ineptitude especially when investigating a black woman’s disappearance, and highlights the disempowerment of poor rural people who have to settle for never knowing what happened to a beloved family member. Luckily for the Ketanes, Eliseev fixated on Betty’s story and did not yield in his mission to be her voice.
The villains in this true-life book are down-right vile but the author skilfully provides the rope with which these antagonists hang themselves. He uses their words and actions obtained from diligently sitting through their lengthy trials and gathering information as only an experienced journalist could.
Betty Ketane, as a character and victim, is dealt with a sensitivity and respect that infuses the book with a tenderness that manages to lift readers above the heartlessness and leaves one believing that the truth will come out. When Betty Kitane’s score is finally completely settled I hope that Eliseev is there to bring us the breaking news.
February 4, 2017
This was very good. It is horrifying, really, because all the time one knows that this is not just fiction. It's the true story of a poor woman who was the victim of a brutal man.
The way the book is put together is very impressive. The research is brilliant, for one thing. But the structure is good, too, because it takes us back and forth between the incriminating letter and the real facts of what happened and when they happened. The characters along the way are also very convincingly represented.
A really good read.
The way the book is put together is very impressive. The research is brilliant, for one thing. But the structure is good, too, because it takes us back and forth between the incriminating letter and the real facts of what happened and when they happened. The characters along the way are also very convincingly represented.
A really good read.
February 6, 2017
This was really good. I remember the headlines in the news about this, and friends back home told me a lot about the court case. The uncovering of the truth is a fascinating experience, and I really was gripped.
January 12, 2017
I'm not convinced that my rating reflects the brilliance of the book. Rather it is a response (horrified and intense) to the murder of Betty Ketani. This kind of book affects me more than those murders that occur on the hills of the English moors. For goodness sake Betty lived among us. I, as a Johannesburg resident can relate to the restaurant, the locations, the characters (who are not characters at all but REAL people). Everything about this is too close for comfort. It is horrific. I am appalled that this tough lady became a victim. The reporting and documenting of this case is OK. However, the resolution is not. I somehow wish that the author had spring boarded into fiction, tied up all the loose ends and created a more fulfilling resolution. Fiction can be better than reality after all....
February 6, 2017
I read this over the weekend and found it very intriguing because I had also read something in the news about it. It is real life but reads like a wonderful thriller, too. A very good piece of writing to put this together and make it read like a crime thriller.
February 6, 2017
This was utterly fascinating for me. I read the reports of the court case and all the newspaper reports about the actual case, so it was nice to see it all come together like this. I think it's put together very nicely, and reads like a crime fiction novel, but there's always the awareness in the back of one's mind that it is fact and not fiction. Mind you, most of South African crime fiction is like that anyway. It all seems to be a mirror of the real world.
February 7, 2017
What an extraordinary case. To think that the whole case could be based on the discovery of something years after the event (I won't spoil it for others). The author handles it marvellously, and the whole thing moves inexorably to a climax. It reads like crime fiction but it isn't. A truly wonderful book to read.
July 27, 2022
I read this over Christmas and New Year and it was so gripping that I went and did some research on the original real case. It was terrible, what happened to these poor people. The journalist who covered the real case is the author here, and he has done a fine job. It reads like a crime thriller because of the way it is put together, with bits of information being revealed at different stages in the whole chronology of the story. It is expertly told and with a very good depiction of the reality of life in South Africa. The real world depicted here makes me appreciate more the world created in the writers of fiction: until reading this book I had thought that crime fiction in South Africa was a bit too violent. Now I think it is pretty tame by comparison with what happens in the real world.
October 19, 2020
I wanted to like this a great deal more than I did. It is a devastating journalistic coup, of course, and the facts are neatly revealed with a gradual escalation of suspense. In this sense it's a whodunit where we are supposed to know from the beginning who had actually dun it. But doubts are cast. Then doubts are removed. Then more doubts creep in.
As clever as that is, from the point of view of grabbing the reader's attention, in essence I would have liked to see this structured more carefully as a novel, with the characters not simply reported but explored. I wanted to see the writer delve into the inner workings of some of the depraved minds in this sordid tale.
The novel works best for me if I can engage with the characters and their journey. This was more of a journal where the writer was more important than the characters.
As clever as that is, from the point of view of grabbing the reader's attention, in essence I would have liked to see this structured more carefully as a novel, with the characters not simply reported but explored. I wanted to see the writer delve into the inner workings of some of the depraved minds in this sordid tale.
The novel works best for me if I can engage with the characters and their journey. This was more of a journal where the writer was more important than the characters.
February 7, 2017
I read this with avid interest because I had read about the real case through the news reports that I was able to access. I was fascinated by the story (I won't give away anything here) and having read it now I am so impressed. Meticulously crafted thriller - except its not fiction.
July 5, 2016
A gripping read of the tragic death of Betty Ketane, who worked at Cranks, a well known Thai restaurant in Rosebank where I enjoyed many memorable meals.
February 12, 2017
This was spellbinding. The fact that it is more of a report on a real case than a novel is beside the point. It is compelling in its narrative, and there is no difference at all between a competent crime fiction thriller and this piece of work.
The sleuthing is wonderful. Here is a journalist who is like a dog with a bone. he pursues the evidence to the bitter end and it is a mesmerizing tale. The plot, if it were indeed a novel, would be hard to believe. An incriminating letter found under a carpet years after a murder? Sound too far-fetched. But here we have reality and it is laid bare beautifully. The writing is easy and colourful, and the charactesr are drawn with great subtlety. No judgements by the auhtor, just a slow laying out of the facts of the case.
Very gripping.
The sleuthing is wonderful. Here is a journalist who is like a dog with a bone. he pursues the evidence to the bitter end and it is a mesmerizing tale. The plot, if it were indeed a novel, would be hard to believe. An incriminating letter found under a carpet years after a murder? Sound too far-fetched. But here we have reality and it is laid bare beautifully. The writing is easy and colourful, and the charactesr are drawn with great subtlety. No judgements by the auhtor, just a slow laying out of the facts of the case.
Very gripping.
May 22, 2018
This was amazing. I read this case at the time because I was a cop then and really interested in it. It was a fascinating case. Now this book comes along and it's even more fascinating in my retirement to read it. It's well put together and makes a really interesting thriller.
The finding of a letter that incriminates the criminals is a cop's dream. Wish I could have investigated this case.
Anyway, it shows again how crime-infested this country is, and how the writers are cashing in on our morbid fascination. A good read, this was.
The finding of a letter that incriminates the criminals is a cop's dream. Wish I could have investigated this case.
Anyway, it shows again how crime-infested this country is, and how the writers are cashing in on our morbid fascination. A good read, this was.
November 7, 2019
This was fascinating. Relatives from South Africa brought this along as a gift and I started reading it and couldn't put it down. What a story. True crime woven into a very effective novel.
What is nice is that despite the author being the journalist who covered the case in real life, he does not intrude into the narrative. He tells the story expertly as a "removed" presence, allowing the characters and the the action to lead the reader on a very intriguing journey. Very good writing, I must say.
What is nice is that despite the author being the journalist who covered the case in real life, he does not intrude into the narrative. He tells the story expertly as a "removed" presence, allowing the characters and the the action to lead the reader on a very intriguing journey. Very good writing, I must say.
January 22, 2020
My goodness, this was scary. I have friends who talk about crime in South Africa and having read this I now know why. What an amazing case - and it's all true, too.
I was fully absorbed in the unravelling of the mystery, and in the gathering of information about the culprits. The poor victims of crime like this - and their families - deserve a much better police force and a more experienced team of detectives.
When will the crimes like this ever end? This book is depressing in some ways but it is uplifting in others, because of the intrepid work of journalists.
I was fully absorbed in the unravelling of the mystery, and in the gathering of information about the culprits. The poor victims of crime like this - and their families - deserve a much better police force and a more experienced team of detectives.
When will the crimes like this ever end? This book is depressing in some ways but it is uplifting in others, because of the intrepid work of journalists.
February 24, 2020
I thought this was brilliant. It's a journalist rather than a policeman who tracks down the clues and it is very good detective work.
I was interested in this real case when it happened and I followed the newspaper reports. But it is now some years later and I found the break from the case helped me to approach the book objectively. I thought it was well plotted and the characters are just like those i have encountered in real life (often in the same vicinity as described in the book).
Good plot and good writing. I recommend it.
I was interested in this real case when it happened and I followed the newspaper reports. But it is now some years later and I found the break from the case helped me to approach the book objectively. I thought it was well plotted and the characters are just like those i have encountered in real life (often in the same vicinity as described in the book).
Good plot and good writing. I recommend it.
March 16, 2017
Amazingly relevant and beautifully written. It is so shocking to think that a plot like this is simply a record of what happened in real life. I loved the one review by Davenport. He gets it on the head. It's good to look at this book in relation to all the South African novels Davenport mentions. The whole crime thriller scene there seems amazing. Horrendous people treating other races so badly. They deserve everything they get.
March 2, 2018
This was quite simply brilliant. A fascinating opening page and from there it gets deeper and deeper into a very exciting drama.
I remember reading something about this case years ago, but I didn't follow it that closely. Friends brought it to my attention back then. But more recently those same friends referred me to this book and boy, it hit me between the eyes. It's not just journalism,. it's a very well-put-together drama.
Good work by the author.
I remember reading something about this case years ago, but I didn't follow it that closely. Friends brought it to my attention back then. But more recently those same friends referred me to this book and boy, it hit me between the eyes. It's not just journalism,. it's a very well-put-together drama.
Good work by the author.
October 30, 2019
This was a very gripping search for who-dunnit. It's well written and the detail is impressive. The context of crime in the country makes it all the more powerful. The search for culprits is one of the biggest challenges the country faces and this kind of detective work is essential. Well worth the read to anyone interested in the sociology of crime in South Africa, as well as people interested in crime thrillers.
November 5, 2019
This was very intriguingly constructed. The writer obviously knows the story in real life - and inside-out at that - and has plotted the novel very well. I found the suspense build-up most appealing, and the descriptions were restrained yet horrific.
This was an amazing experience to read about in a crime-infested environment, and it is as well to remember the real world just around the corner from the world of crime fiction. A disturbing book to read, but very well written.
This was an amazing experience to read about in a crime-infested environment, and it is as well to remember the real world just around the corner from the world of crime fiction. A disturbing book to read, but very well written.
February 25, 2020
This was fascinating. True crime written by a journalist. This is as good as any crime thriller: the way in which the evidence is laid out is integrally related to the characters and the bigger picture comes clear as we understand the characters and their relationships. It's all like a big spider's web and the author takes us carefully through the evidence like a forensic investigator. It's a very good book.
May 9, 2017
This was really good. I read all about the real case in the media and when I finally had this book recommended to me there was no question: I got it right away and loved it from first to last. Very good to read this after a few fantastic crime thrillers I've read. No telling which is fiction and which is reality.
May 9, 2017
I read all about the real case as it was happening. I expected this to be a novel based on the facts but giving us insights through character and a bit of fiction. As it turns out it is really a journalistic reporting of the facts. But despite this it is an unfolding human drama with lots to grab one's attention and make it a very good read.
October 25, 2018
A family friend introduced me to this, and there I was, caught by the problem of crime in Africa. I have been reading more and more and this is just the best introduction to the reality of the awful crimes being committed there. How frightening. But a well-structured book that is written like a novel but is really a journalist's accurate study of a real crime.
November 3, 2019
Very fascinating book, tracking a real crime. The horror of crimes in the country come home to one in a starkly realistic way.
I thought of the Oscar Pistorius case, and of many horrific crimes like that, and wondered whether we would ever get out of this terrible sewer of violence.
The writing is very good.
I thought of the Oscar Pistorius case, and of many horrific crimes like that, and wondered whether we would ever get out of this terrible sewer of violence.
The writing is very good.
February 24, 2020
This was really interesting. A journalist becomes a detective then an author. The story is fabulous: a real-life story leading to a hunt for whodunnit. Very well written and very much in touch with the seedy underbelly of the city. Horrifying. Bad criminals. Helpless victim. Dark and mesmerising writing.
February 7, 2018
Very intriguing. A true case brought to life quite expertly. It seems to me that it could benefit from a bit more drama. As it stands it reads like a journalist's report. But still, very exciting in parts.
July 15, 2019
Written like a fiction novel, it is hard to believe this is a true story! The author approaches each side of the story from a objective point of you to leave the choice of what actually happened up to the reader. I could not put this book down!
November 23, 2019
This was an interesting read which is very well written. Published in 2016, the author expected those convicted to appeal their sentences. I would be interested to know if anything else has transpired. If you enjoy reading crime/legal novels, you should read this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews